The Legend of Zelda theme music is among the most iconic in video game history. If you’re like me, even the mention of Zelda brings the heroic melody to mind. I assumed that composing such a masterpiece must have taken months of effort, so I was surprised to learn it was partially the product of an overnight cram session. Apparently, Koji Kondo works well under pressure.
In a 2016 interview celebrating the 30th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, series creator Shigeru Miyamoto, director Takashi Tezuka, and composer Koji Kondo discussed how the title music came to be. Kondo had little to go on, with Tezuka’s notes simply requesting “title music.” So, Kondo arranged classical composer Maurice Ravel’s “Bolero” for the NES to play over the opening scroll. Everything seemed set until the team learned that “Bolero” was still under copyright, meaning it could not be used without proper licensing.
Miyamoto recalled “The Copyright Incident” with a chuckle and explained that the team thought they could use the music because Ravel “lived a long time ago.” At the time, Japan recognized copyright protection for 50 years after the death of the composer, after which the composition became public domain (Japan increased the protection to 70 years as part of its agreement in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, taking effect on December 30, 2018). It turned out that Ravel had not been dead for quite long enough.
Miyamoto remembered that a check of Ravel’s death date revealed he had passed 49 years and 11 months before. This may have been an exaggeration because Ravel passed on December 28, 1937, and The Legend of Zelda was originally released on February 21, 1986, meaning there would have been almost two years left on the copyright. If the production team wasn’t under deadline, the title theme as we know it may have never been. However, pressure to release the game forced Kondo to come up with a new theme overnight.
An all-nighter was all Kondo needed to produce the iconic theme. He was able to draw from music he had already composed for the game, most directly the “Overworld Theme,” to arrange the title music. In a textbook display of modesty, Kondo stated that “it’s just an arrangement of music used in the game.” What this comment fails to recognize is that without this arrangement, it’s possible that the heroic melody would not have become the theme that appears in some form in nearly every game. The arrangement solidified the melody as the theme for the series and, I think it it is fair to say, helped to assure it would become one of the most recognizable video game melodies ever.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Ravel’s “Bolero” is an excellent piece of work (I especially enjoy the Blast! arrangement). However, I find it hard to imagine it as the theme to Zelda, especially given how original most other things about the series are. “The Copyright Incident” was most likely an extremely stressful trial at the time, but Kondo’s ability to shine under pressure led to an original and memorable theme that has lasted for 33 years and counting.
Curious what the opening may have sounded like had Ravel’s Bolero not been under copyright? Take a listen to one fan’s 8-bit arrangement placed over the Zelda title scroll.
